Yes, stillā¦
After twelve years of not producing a single decent apricot, one of our trees surprised us with apricots twice the size of the ones we usually buy on the market (on the right). Even better though, ours are much juicier and their flavour is super intense.
Can only think itās due to wet late Spring
I could be the weather conditions, tree dying, although known for longevity, also lack of pruning, always prune apricots from Spring to mid late Summer.
Enjoy the fruits of your garden
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Thanks for that, it didnāt get pruned. but Iāll save the stones in case itās dying - shades of Furiosa (canāt be more explicit - itād be a spoiler if anyone still wants to catch the movie)
As you know this is the dryest region due to lack of rainfall for over 2 years now and yet the orchards are bursting with apricots, peaches and nectarines all around me. I bought some from a local producer who sells from a hut in a field nearby and they are huge and vry juicy, obviously culling the fruit last year to save the trees worked.
Maybe itās not dying, if it is may take a few years, when dying they tend to grow more fruit and smaller. Keeping the stones and planting them will give you a plant thatās not the same as the original, nature moves on. Darwin and evolution etc.
Itās a good time to prune now.
Quite often plants respond to extreme stress by flowering and fruiting prolifically. Their genetics directs them to prioritise propagation at all cost.
I was just FaceTiming a friend of mine who was born in Hells Kitchen in Manhattan, grew up on the Jersey Shore (so is about one of the most Italian American people on earth, she makes the cast of The Sopranos look like amateurs) and now lives in WeHo, just said to me that her finances are not doing great between still trying to recover from the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes⦠and this cozzie livs. My jaw literally dropped as I pondered how I only just learnt of the existence of that but somehow itās managed to travel five thousand miles away and become part of west coast parlance
To be fair to her though she does work with lots of very young and trendy Brit creatives so probably picked it up there, but Iām still laughing to myself about that!
Should you prune prunes? ![]()
Yes, forgot to mention that too.
Yes, absolutely! Good time to do so June through to August.
Theyāve already been pruned so to speak/write.
One of our gardenās many limitations is that because the house and at least half the garden may be as old as the house, c1400. The other half has about half a metre of soil, below which are the paving stones of the cave of a now demolished small mediaeval house (its bread oven is about three metres up our back wall. Anyhow, consequently I seldom know the depth of the soil at any point in the garden and what a treeās roots may encounter a few years later.
The sun is shining this morning.
Iām still alive and the legs are still moving after yesterdayās fairly brutal hike
will share pics on @DrMarkH rando thread later ![]()
Well both of those are definitely something to be thankful for ![]()
My cheerful news (a bit negative but itās a relief to me) is that both the chorale and the conversation group have their last meetings this week and weāll have a break until September. Both can be rewarding but, in different ways, are rather stressful ā¦
Lucky you⦠around here, just as one busy season closes⦠Summer frolics start⦠(yes, it is summer, even with all this rain⦠)
but on a cheerful note⦠our American pals arrive this week⦠our annual catch-up will be great fun.
Actually, thinking about it, the final liberation of our village took place at the beginning of August 1944 and there are loads of things planned⦠we are going to the Bal de la Liberation (so can practice our limited dance moves) and weāll need to find 1950s-style clothing to wear, apparently ![]()
I planned a special lunch because of the sunshine.
Roast chicken with new potatoes and chives, carrot batons, buttered cucumber with tarragon and griddled baby gem lettuce and spring onions.
Raspberries from the garden with cream.
Sounds fabulous! Keep some warm for me, Iāll be right over!
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